Alice: Finding A Way Home
by Hanikamiya Hana
Summary: At age 10 Alice had to leave her Wonderland behind, but the Hatter made her a promise, if she ever needed him, he would be there to lead her back home.
1. Forward

"Alice," Hatter called as the young girl made her way closer to the rabbit hole at the end of a long winding dirt corridor, "My dear Alice, please slow down."

"Mr. Hatter?" Alice asked turning towards the man jogging to catch up to her.

"It seems that I had forgotten to give you your unbirthday present at your going away party." The Hatter grinned at her as he held out something small and glittering to the young girl in front of him.

Alice squinted and took a few more steps closer to meet the delightful mad man. She realized now that it was in fact a tiny gold locket, shaped like a card suit spade. The spade was upside down, making it look more like a heart shape. The fastening to keep the spade on the necklace chain was attached to the stem coming off of the heart shape. Alice let her curiosity take over, she accepted the necklace, immediately opening it up. Inside was an inscription reading _His Majesty, The Mad Hatter._ Alice looked at the Hatter, who only smiled and closed her hands around it.

"Would you like me to help you put it on?" He asked, reaching for the thin chain. Alice only nodded, staring at the locket and wondering why it was inscribed to His Majesty, The Mad Hatter, and not something more like, Mister Mad Hatter. She had learned in school that titles were very important, and after her lessons she had made sure to address all the plants in her home as your majesty in order to upset her governess.

"Mister Hatter, why are you his majesty?" the ten tear old girl asked, catching her name glinting in the light from the front of the locket as she stared up at her childhood friend.

"I'll tell you when you're older," He smiled as he took a step back to admire the necklace around little Alice's neck, "But for now, please hold onto that locket for me will you?"

"Of course Hatter, but why?" She asked, her undying curiosity forcing another warm smile upon the Hatter's lips.

"It's a very important necklace Alice," He explained, taking a knee in front of her, "I need you to keep it safe for me, alright? If ever you need me this will being me back to you, just call my name, and I will be there. I promise."

"I will keep it safe! I swear!" Alice answered, closing her fist around the locket.

"Good." Hatter replied standing and looking over his shoulder nervously, "And should you ever wish to return here, it will lead you back home."

"Home?" Alice asked curiouser still.

"Yes, you should get going," The Hatter said in his normal goofy voice, "your parents must be missing you, it is your unbirthday after all."

"Hatter, I don't think I will come back for a long time." Alice said reaching for a gloved hand, "I may never come back. You know that they're sending me away for school. I must become a lady, they say. No more silly games, and no more hatters they said."

"My dear, dear Alice," The Hatter said, walking her closer to the rabbit hole, "You don't have to do what you don't want to do, you must only pretend to do what you must do. Do you understand me, Alice?"

"Not completely, but I think you mean that I don't have to be a lady, or stop seeing my friends," Alice said stopping just short of the rabbit hole, "I just have to make them think I am what they want me to be, right?"

The Hatter smiled and nodded, slipping his hand away from hers. She turned to him with a questioning stare, only to feel his hands firmly around her waist.

"Goodbye, Alice." He said, and if Alice hadn't known better, she would have thought that he sounded sad.

With that, he lifted her up and nearly threw her through the rabbit hole, and into the glaringly bright light of the outside world. The last he saw of little Alice was the shocked face she made as she was hurled into the real world and the rabbit hole went dark behind her. She could see no trace of the hatter's sad eyes, or large hat when she looked back. She lay a ginger hand on the locket, smiling as she called back down the hole;

"Goodbye Mister Hatter!"


	2. Chapter 1: Going Home

The first time that Alice tried to use the locket to talk to the Mad Hatter was after four long years had passed in her life at the prestigious boarding school her parents had sent her away to. Alice hated it there so much; The people she lived with were boring and snobby, the complete opposite of Alice. There tea parties were quiet and polite, there was no sleepy mice or riddles, no throwing of cups or changing of seat, but most of all, there were no hatters at their parties. She missed her friends terribly, she had been forbidden to speak of them by her teachers the moment she arrived. She had even found herself wondering if Wonderland had ever existed at all. She may have forgotten in time, but the locket she kept tucked away under her dress collar was a constant reminder of her time spent underground.

The night that she called upon her Hatter was a lonely night for her at the boarding school. It was Christmas time, and the few girls who hadn't gone home for the holiday were having a tea party in one of the lounges that they would normally practice piano, harp, flute, or their other various instruments in. They had conveniently forgotten to invite Alice, as usual. Alice had scoffed when she heard their cheery chatter, and pointless gossip floating up the stairs to her bedroom. Luckily her parents were a very wealthy family, and had paid extra to get Alice her own room, if nothing else to hide her odd habits from the other children. The other girls still thought she was odd, they didn't often talk to her, but when they did, Alice felt as though she was being interrogated. They would demand to know what she was drawing in her sketch book, or why she was so sad at tea time, or what nonsense she was muttering into her cup. Alice didn't feel she owed them an answer and made it a habit to storm out of the room, favorite cup in hand.

Alice looked in her mirror at her appearance, running her finger through her straight hair. It had stayed the same platinum blonde of her younger years, and kept it's slight curl at the ends, framing her pale face nicely. She noted her refreshingly acne free skin, a lot of the other young girls would break out terribly year round, Alice blamed it on how much they fretted over things that were none of their business, that and the ludicrous amount of sugar they put in their tea. It was cold out and her room was getting a bit nippy without the fire lit to keep it nice and toasty. She could see the pink flush on her cheeks and beginning on her nose, so she decided to do the most logical thing in her mind. Her teachers always scolded her for doing so, but she thought it was silly not to light her own fire, who had the time to fetch one of the maids? She was an able bodied young girl, she could take care of herself. As she finished getting her fire going she wiped the slight amount of moisture that had gathered on her forehead away, and glanced in the mirror again. Her face was now pink and hot from making the fire and her powder blue nightgown had a bit of soot sticking to it. She sighed and sat down on her bed twirling her locket around in her slender fingers.

"Hatter, won't you come spend Christmas with me?" She asked staring out the window as snow fell in fat white puffs. It felt like an eternity passed before Alice fell back on the bed with a frown painted on her delicate features.

"Have I gone completely mad then?" She wondered out loud.

"We're all a bit mad, my dear." A familiar voice answered her.

Alice sat up straight and smiled like a complete mad woman. There sat her Mad Hatter in all his mismatched glory. He was nestled in her comfy chair in the corner, cup of tea in hand, and large hat threatening to fall off at it's odd nearly sideways sitting position. He looked as if he had just rushed in, disheveled and slightly flushed in the face.

"Hatter!" Alice cried, flying out of bed and nearly tackling the man into a hug.

"My dear, what's the matter?" He asked, setting his tea cup down off to the side on an end table in favor of stroking Alice's long hair. She had grown a bit taller and less childlike since he had last seen her at fourteen. This was still the closest she had ever gotten to the Hatter and she didn't think he would mind much, after all, the words on the locket had a habit of changing as they liked between affectionate phrases. They currently read _My Dearest Alice. Your Majesty, The Mad Hatter._

"I'm terribly lonely Mister Hatter." Alice cooed, inhaling the scent of camomile, earl gray tea, and freshly brushed leather. There was an earthy hint to him as well, surely from sitting outside at tea for hours on end.

"That won't do." The Hatter said prodding her into a sitting upon his lap, which was embarrassing for Alice at first, but the feeling quickly ebbed as curiosity consumed her once more. The Hatter had opened up her locket and seemed to be fiddling with it and a tiny pen.

"There!" He said satisfied with what he'd accomplished. Alice peered down at the locket and read the new inscription opposite of _Your Majesty, The Mad Hatter. _It read: _Happy Christmas Love._

"Will it change like the others?" Alice asked running her fingers over the cool silver.

"Why of course, Alice!" The Hatter exclaimed as if it was obvious, "It's magical isn't it?"

"I suppose it is." Alice mumbled, mulling over the new inscription in her head as she fiddled with the bright orange jacket of the hatter, "Your coat is so very long."

"Would you like to try it on for size?" He asked, lifting her into the air as if she weighed nothing.

"That's a wonderful and mad idea," She giggled, "Let's have a go then, put me down Mister Hatter."

He did as he was asked and twirled her before removing his coat and helping her into it. He stood back and tapped his chin.

"Ah!" He exclaimed taking a step forward, he placed his hat atop her head, "There we are. It just isn't quite right without the hat."

Alice took herself in in the mirror, inhaling the scent that surrounded her. It was almost dizzying as it overwhelmed her senses. She hadn't realized she had pulled the fabric up to her nose to get more of the wonderful scent, and was deeply inhaling.

"I missed you Hatter." She sighed with closed eyes, "Where have you been?"

"Silly cricket..." The Hatter replied softly, "I was waiting at home for you. I've been waiting for you to return to Wonderland, to me."

The feeling of large hands on her shoulders brought her back to reality. She spun around and threw her arms around the madman.

"Oh please, take me back home," She pleaded, burying her face in his chest, "I hate it here, I want to go home Hatter!"

"Are you sure cricket?" He asked holding the now 17 year old Alice in his arms.

"Please, Hatter," Alice murmured, "Take me home."

"As you wish," He said, fighting to hide his grin, "put on your shoes while I write a note. Can't have them thinking you've been kidnapped now can we?"

He produced a quill, inkwell, and paper from Alice's desk and scrawled a messy note out to her caretakers.

"I'm ready." Alice piped up, shoes on her feet and large green hat propped upon her own head. She clutched the orange overcoat close to her body and took a step toward the Hatter.

"Ah, then through the looking glass we go!" He announced leaving all the writing supplies askew on the desk.

"How curious," Alice mused as the Hatter put an arm around her and escorted her to the mirror she had been admiring herself in only minutes ago, "We;re going through?"

"But of course dear Cricket! How else would we get there!" He demanded as though it were obvious. She glared at him and huffed.

"How should I know? You're the mad one here." She scoffed, clutching the coat even closer to her lithe body.

The next morning the maids were distraught to find the young blonde missing, and nothing left in her wake but a note scrawled in a messy, unpracticed font that said only that Alice was his. Signed in larger more pronounced and flourished lettering with words that baffled and horrified the staff. The Mad Hatter.


End file.
